


Overthinking Perfection

by Kisuru



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-25 04:38:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17718194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kisuru/pseuds/Kisuru





	Overthinking Perfection

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ladysugarquill](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladysugarquill/gifts).



Early on in their relationship, Naruto and Hinata decided they would take things relatively slow and simple. There was no rush. Always, the time and place were important for the long haul, and they had each other as far as they were concerned while they settled into routine. The Hyuuga clan (still in the early stages of acceptance of their dedication to courtship and faithfulness) offered them their blessings, as well as their friends.  
  
Eventually, after much consideration and plans, they took the first leap and set out on their first date. It was one in many more to come; however, the first attempt earlier on that same night had crashed and burned.  
  
It didn’t matter now, though. In Naruto’s mind the crisis had been averted. He should feel worse, but Hinata had insisted they leave the first restaurant, and now they were at the ramen shop best-known to him most of all.  
  
“The usual for you, kid?”  
  
“You bet! Barbecue pork.”  
  
“And you, Miss?”  
  
“O-Oh! I’ll have… exactly the same thing!”  
  
Scratching his cheek as Teuchi walked away behind the counter, Naruto briefly relaxed in the barstool he frequented at Ichiraku Ramen. Except there was one big difference tonight; Hinata was in toe sitting at his side.  
  
From the corner of his eye, he caught her gaze. His arms, tense and rigid, slowly unwound while he looked at her. Hinata smiled, slightly distant but peaceful, sitting next to him on the stool to the right. She hummed to herself, and he watched her, biting his lip. It hadn’t been the situation he envisioned before they met up, but…  
  
Still, it didn’t erase the bit of his dashed pride. He sank back into his chair. Unconsciously, he patted the near empty wallet in his pocket. She had seen right through him earlier—he hadn’t known what to order at the other place. The prices on the dinner menu had terrified him, but he was sure Hinata had not noticed that part of his mishaps—he had mistaken the cost of everything from right off the bat.  
  
He was lucky she decided they weren’t in the mood for the expensive food there anyway.  
  
“Order up!” Teuchi called. He dropped their respective, piping hot bowls of ramen in front of them on the table. Then, he cupped his hand next to his lips, leaning towards Naruto. He pretended to whisper but didn’t. “So, you got yourself a girlfriend for real this time?”  
  
Naruto jerked. He shook his head a bit and shot him a look that read I’m-not-playing-around. “Gramps, don’t embarrass me.”  
  
“O-ooh! I’ve never seen you so shy. We have a couple!” Teuchi chuckled. He glanced at Hinata. “He never brings such beautiful girls here. He wants to treat you like a princess! Even I know this is a special scene.”  
  
Hinata immediately blushed cherry red, shuffling her feet at the base of her seat. He called her a princess. Yet his playful tone did not imply the serious role of princess she encompassed as the eldest Hyuuga heir of the main branch. He meant another intimate kind, and her heart leapt at the thought of Naruto carrying her in his arms in front of the village.  
  
“I didn’t know it was that obvious,” Hinata murmured. She wondered whether the words _this is our first date together_ appeared stamped in the middle of her forehead.  
  
The old guy was too perceptive, Naruto reasoned. But he couldn’t say he wasn’t pleased with the onslaught of teases.  
  
“Hey, now you’re overdoing it,” Naruto said, snatching a pair of chopsticks for himself.  
  
In the background, Hinata listened to their continued banter. Her gaze focused on the steam rising from the bowl. She inhaled, breathing in deep from her diaphragm, the rich and fresh scent of ramen filling up the leftover chill from the outside. Her body and heart were warm. Here, she was at peace.  
  
Hinata was happy they chose the small ramen bar after all. This was where Naruto was his most in-sync with the people around him.  
  
Briefly, she recalled Naruto’s profound confusion while visiting the high-class restaurant an hour ago. At the time she had worried they would be in over their heads—and, honestly, she had been on the mark.  
  
While she had hoped they would be fine, the odds had not been stacked in Naruto’s favor. The manner in which he twitched and gripped the tablecloth proved he was too worried and on-edge to conduct himself in the formal and stuffy environment. Not to mention she spotted the deeper issue (she wasn’t surprised he didn’t have the right amount of money, and the Byakugan proved it). The top-notch restaurant had been a flop.  
  
But the money didn’t matter. The restaurant didn’t matter, either. Those were little details that she picked up on after watching him for so many years. She knew his different cues.  
  
If she were completely upfront, she didn’t like seeing Naruto bothered at her expense.  
  
Luckily, Sakura’s words had floated back to her, and she had taken action afterwards.  
  
  
_“I can’t decide where we should have our first date,” Hinata admitted. She kicked the small snow drift under her foot to the side. Since they had returned home, the winter passed quickly and the heavy snowfall decreased._  
  
_“Did you ask him?” Sakura asked._  
  
_“Um. Well. He doesn’t know, either.”_  
  
_“Not a gentlemen, is he? Honestly, I can see his face right now. He doesn’t have a clue.”_  
  
_“That’s not true! He’s always—“_  
  
_Sakura laughed, waving her hand in amusement. Disgruntled, Hinata sighed. Sakura’s hand fell on her shoulder._  
  
_“Don’t stress it. You’ll never go if you consider every option,” Sakura assured, placing her free hand on her hip. “Naruto is… How shall I put it? He isn’t really...” Shaking her head shortly after, she brushed the snow flurries off her shoulder. “Anyway, he’s learning what to do in those situations. The important thing isn’t picking a fancy or overdone restaurant. What really matters is you’re both together.”_  
  
  
Now, Hinata wasn’t watching through the window; she was on the other side of it.  
  
The sight of Ichiraku Ramen was familiar, but the outside had been so distance once upon a time. She recalled the last time she stepped foot outside. Their friends had surrounded Naruto and shielded him in; only Sakura came out to talk to her and give her some form of guidance. The scratchy knitting of the scarf she had listlessly held that night in her hand seemed to reappear in her hand. Idly, she closed her palm, but the lasting memory of that day was the phantom feeling of the scarf clutched tight between her fingers.  
  
She had Naruto all to herself.  
  
“I really am glad we’re here,” Hinata said the moment Teuchi left to help another costumer.  
  
Running his hand through his hair, Naruto scratched the back of his neck. Some days he didn’t know how to express his own feelings of gratitude and happiness. “I’m glad.”  
  
Immediately, he wanted to slap himself for not being able to think of anything cooler than that. He had to remember to stay calm. During his coaching lessons for dates with Sai (he still couldn’t believe Sai offered to help him with something like that with such good advice), Sai had explained girls liked that one brazen trait in guys he couldn’t forget—confidence! Naruto was always confident and maintaining that momentum should be as simple as pie.  
  
All the same, everything about Hinata sucked his bravado out of him and replaced it with the desire to make the night worth her time. Her bright smile, the crinkle of her eyes, and the way she carried herself in his presence…  
  
Naruto unraveled the scarf around his neck. He smoothed his fingers through the fabric and gently placed it off to the side. The impulse was automatic—he didn’t even think about it anymore. Besides, he was a messy ramen eater, and he would die of shame if a drop of the broth landed on the red silk.  
  
Done with that, he aimed his chopsticks towards the bowl. About to dig in, Naruto suddenly paused. Of course! He gripped the chopsticks a bit tighter, holding them out.  
  
“Here,” he said.  
  
Hinata’s expression broke out in surprise. She laughed, nervous. ”T-Thank you.” Reaching for the wooden sticks, she accidently went too far in her haste. Electricity jolted through her skin as his fingertips brushed against hers.  
  
A moment of bliss passed between them and they stared at each other. Hinata’s palms went sweaty, and Naruto’s heart thumped. Hinata abandoned the pretense of where they were, and Naruto forgot as well, and their lips met for the slightest but longest of seconds.  
  
Hinata snapped herself out of it first. She was reluctant to pull away from him. To wake herself up, she slid the chopsticks against her fingers, coaxing herself to eat. She finally turned away and scooted back into place.  
  
Naruto grabbed another set of chopsticks, but his movements were even slower. He could not help but think, once he lifted the noodles towards his mouth and the steam danced in the air, Hinata’s lips were even warmer.  
  
Hinata stirred her chopsticks in the bowl and searched for a good place to start. It looked delicious indeed: the mixture of eggs, pork, bamboo shoots, and seaweed stirred among the noodles. Pinching a noodle between the wood, she barely started to eat herself. Her attention was too wrapped up in Naruto.  
  
How did he _always_ look enthusiastic while eating ramen? There wasn’t anything that resembled that about him; and, to her, he looked even happier than usual scarfing down each bite. Compared to everything else in that moment, that was saying something.  
  
The chopstick touched her lips. She opened her mouth to take in the noodle. Blinking, Hinata glanced down to see her chopstick was empty. Right then the truth dawned on her.  
  
The noodle slumped on the edge of Naruto’s bowl. She had been so engrossed in herself she had not noticed she dropped it there.  
  
Hinata ducked her head. She clasped the chopstick in her hand, the wood scraping against the palm of her hand. Despite the fact she didn’t have to be nervous anymore, and Naruto was her boyfriend now, she still was too distracted and made little mistakes. She counted from one, two, and three – yes, she would simply attempt eating another one.  
  
Naruto caught something amiss right away. While he was mid-bite, he paused, and he spotted the noodle. Hinata’s gaze was not on him anymore. She stared off to the side at the trophy case on the wall and the prettier pictures behind the counter. For a moment he considered this, and he wondered if he should simply return to eating, but he steeled his nerves instead. He scooped the round noodle on the edge of his bowl and lifted it up.  
  
The past was over. Hinata had spent years watching him and believing in him. It was Naruto’s turn to notice her actions and remind her that he would never ignore her again.  
  
“You dropped this.”  
  
Hinata jumped. Her face flashed between shock and bewilderment. Hurriedly, she waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, no, that’s yours.” And she already messed up! She wanted to cover up for herself, but she didn’t even know how to admit to it this time.  
  
“I saw it fall,” Naruto said, laughing.  
  
“Um.” Hinata fidgeted. Her gaze darted between the edge of the chopsticks and the grinning lines under his eyes. For a heart-stopping minute, she didn’t know what she should do. Hinata forgot how to breathe.  
  
Suddenly, the pair of chopsticks fell close to her mouth. Her eyes crossed, and she blinked. The noodle loomed, beckoned her, the water on its surface glinting under the lights. The realization of what he needed dawned on her.  
  
Carefully, she leaned in. She opened her mouth and grasped the noodle with her teeth, slurping it in. Naruto watched her, focus on the movement of her lips. Pulling back, she basked in the taste. Hinata wasn’t quiet as bothered as she thought she would be.  
  
“Was it good?” Naruto asked.  
  
Hinata laughed. “Very. Very, very good.”  
  
Hinata didn’t wait for another invitation. She clicked her chopsticks. Sinking them into the bowl of ramen, she pulled out the small fish cake floating in the middle of the noodles. She raised her eyebrow at her pure luck—of course the genuine naruto itself would come to her at a time like this—and she returned the favor that Naruto had given her.  
  
It was a bit silly, Hinata believed. She wondered if it was rude to do this in public, but Naruto didn’t show signs of worry. In fact, Naruto’s face flushed in delight at the way she looked at him and put so much of her energy into it. Her eyes brimmed with interest and amusement and something fleetingly unique that nobody else could capture.  
  
He bit into the fish cake. He chewed and swallowed and savored every morsel. Usually, he didn’t take the time to thoroughly enjoy his namesake on his own time, but he allowed himself to slow his pace down with Hinata.  
  
And for a while it descended into that, a quiet evening enjoying their meal. Every once in a while they fed each other, or they nibbled at the sprouts after the noodles disappeared, not in any particular rush to ever finish.  
  
Naruto had thought a meal of ramen would be too plain an adventure for a first date. In truth, he wasn’t great at predicting outcome. Sakura and Sai reminded him he better think in advance of a special moment. But perhaps he looked in the wrong place at first.  
  
There was nothing that could beat this.  
  
Hinata seemed cheerful, and she was.  
  
Yes, Hinata decided. Coming to Naruto’s favorite place truly was her own as well.  
  
“All done?” Ayame asked, poking her head in.  
  
Until then Hinata had barely noticed the bowl was empty. Only the soup stock remained in the bowl and leftover onion pieces. The taste of the ramen lingered on her tongue and warmed Hinata from the inside outward.  
  
She wasn’t exactly sure what boiled up within her stomach and propelled her forward. Her hunger reached her mouth before her brain.  
  
“I’ll take another!” Hinata yelled.  
  
Usually, she wouldn’t eat too much, but her irresistible appetite had other ideas. In fact, she didn’t mind if she ate more and more! She held up the bowl and handed it off.  
  
Ayame laughed and weighed the bowl in her hands. “I think it may be too soon to say this about you, but I see a fire in your eyes. You better watch out,” she said to Naruto, turning her gaze on him. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think she may beat your ramen eating records one day. If I say so myself, you have competition on your hands.”  
  
Startled, Naruto felt a chill run down his spine. To be fair, he considered himself Ichiraku’s renowned champion at eating ramen. All the same, he found himself admiring an upset if things ever came to that. He slung an arm around Hinata’s shoulders and pulled her against his side. “I accept that challenge.”  
  
Without thinking, she easily settled in the crook of his arm. Hinata wasn’t so sure about defeating him or anything like that. Anyway, she didn’t mind the tease. It was good food, company, and an unforgettable night.  
  
“We’ll make that competition another date.”


End file.
